Former President Donald Trump and U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau’s recent viral golf collaboration was reportedly filmed before the assassination attempt on July 13.
The 2024 Republican presidential nominee appeared on DeChambeau’s “Break 50” series, to raise cash for charity.
In the series, Trump, 78, and DeChambeau, 30, teamed up in a scramble format aiming for a sub-50 score from the forward tees.
They performed solidly, finishing 22 under par, with Trump sinking the final shot and DeChambeau exclaiming, “Let’s go!”
“That’s how we do it,” he hollered. “That’s how you finish off the round. We shot 22 under, oh my gosh.”
The video, posted on YouTube on July 23, has garnered over 7.4 million views.
DeChambeau thanked Trump in the video’s description, calling it an “honor to play a round with the former president and raise a ton of money for the Wounded Warrior Project.”
Let’s settle this whole handicap debate, I’ll host the golf match on my YouTube @realDonaldTrump @JoeBiden
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) June 28, 2024
He later clarified that the event occurred before the attempted assassination at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
Prior to the video release, DeChambeau teased it on X: “Break 50 with @realDonaldTrump dropping tomorrow on my YouTube channel!”
“On this special episode, we will be donating $10,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project for every stroke we score under par. Stay tuned,” he added.
DeChambeau noted that organizing the collaboration took just three days, and he looks forward to future videos with other high-profile people.
The shoot took place on July 6, between Trump’s June 27 debate with President Joe Biden and the July 13 rally that ended in an assassination attempt.
To confirm and clear any speculation, the Break 50 video with @realDonaldTrump was filmed during the first week of July, before I traveled overseas and prior to the incident that occurred in Butler, PA.
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) July 23, 2024
DeChambeau emphasized that the event was nonpolitical, although Trump wore a Make America Great Again hat and a Trump 2024 shirt.
“To be clear, this is about golf and giving back to our nation’s veterans, not politics,” DeChambeau tweeted.
“A few weeks ago, I reached out to both parties’ presidential campaigns and @realDonaldTrump was down for the challenge,” he continued.
Trump just played a round of golf with Bryson Dechambeau, and the 22-time Club Champion put on a putting clinic on the greens! pic.twitter.com/Mm93ll85iN
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 23, 2024
“Whether it’s Obama or anyone else on that side, I’m more than willing to play with them. I have no issues whatsoever,” DeChambeau remarked.
“That’s the thing about golf is that the more we can utilize golf to bring everyone together in a cool way, I think that’s the vision of the global game of golf,” he said.
“It is an incredible honor to be able to enjoy a round of golf with any sitting or former president, and all have an open invitation to join me for a round of Break 50 anytime.”
Trump did make a political remark during the game, referencing a recent debate argument with Biden, who was still in the race at the time of filming, about golf handicaps.
“We had an argument about golf,” Trump told DeChambeau. “Can you believe it?”
After an impressive shot on the second hole, Trump joked, “You think Biden can do that?”
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers certainly doesn’t. He brought up the debate with podcasters Eric Sollenberger and Dan Katz during a round of golf in Lake Tahoe.
Everyone tries to cancel Aaron Rodgers when he goes near any politician pic.twitter.com/J4L2oCamjJ
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) July 22, 2024
Rodgers asked, “Did you enjoy the debate? Did you watch?” Sollenberger replied, “Loved the debate. I watched that; made me fall in love with America. I was, like, we got the two best guys for the job, I’m happy about that.”
Rodgers then mentioned the golfing conversation, saying, “When they started talking about golf, Trump actually said recently a million dollars [bet]; he would give Joe 10 strokes a side.”
He added, “My favorite part about it that kind of got under the radar was that Biden’s like, ‘you got to carry your own bag.’ This is a guy who couldn’t walk off the stage.”
Since the video’s release, DeChambeau’s YouTube subscribers have surpassed 1.17 million.
He noted that he also contacted the “other side” to play a round of golf.
“First off, it’s an honor to play with anybody of that type of influence, no matter who it is on any political side,” DeChambeau said on Thursday.
“We wanted to showcase the golf abilities of any influential person, and he was definitely up on a list that I wanted to showcase,” he told reporters at a LIV event in England on Thursday.
“We were able to call out and ask him to play, and he said, Yeah, absolutely. We asked the other side, as well, and anyone that wants to play.”
DeChambeau pointed out that Trump is “obviously a figure that can pull a lot of views,” and thought the video would be a “great” way to showcase the Republican nominee’s golfing ability, which the most recent U.S. Open champ said was “pretty good.”
It was a lot of fun to do, and it took a little bit, but we got it approved and it was fun to shoot,” he added.
“It was a great time. We had a blast, and I look forward to doing a lot more of those with other influential people.”
DeChambeau and Trump to way back, with the golf star previously carrying the Trump Organization’s logo on his staff bag at one point in his career, and Trump’s son hosting a party for DeChambeau following his 2020 U.S. Open victory.
“Politicians are divisive figures for sure,” DeChambeau acknowledged, “and I respect and understand that.”
He said that creating content and raising money for charity was what they focused on during the collaboration.
“Trying to take the politics all out of it and just going, ‘Let’s create some amazing fun content for people to see some cool, fun, entertaining shots,’” DeChambeau added.
I need polling before and after the world has officially seen Donald Trumps’s putting stroke pic.twitter.com/3y9onm5beV
— Brian Kirschner (@BrianKirschner_) July 23, 2024
What was apparently divisive was Trump’s putting form, with some saying he’s a ‘crazy good putter’, while others criticizing his technique.
Trump was not perfect with the putter but did sink the final shot, a 12-foot putt. A viewer commented, “There is exactly 0% chance that Donald Trump has ever broken 80.”
“This is the putting of a dude with severe mental demons on the golf course. I have honestly never seen worse yips in my entire life.”
While contended that, “Donald Trump is a crazy good putter but has the wildest putting stroke I’ve ever seen.”